reading comprehension grade 2

The passages and activities contained in this book will provide your child with plenty of opportunities to develop these vital reading comprehension skills.. The worm wiggled toget free,

FLASH SKILLS

\\\tt8trate(ibi) Jackie Stlldei*

A Division of Karnes & Noble Publishing

Once young children have learned to read, the next important

step is to make sure that they understand and retain the

information they encounter The passages and activities

contained in this book will provide your child with plenty of

opportunities to develop these vital reading comprehension

skills The more your child reads and responds to literature, the

greater the improvement you will see in his or her mastery of

reading comprehension To get the most from this book, follow

these simple steps:

• Find a comfortable place where you and your

child can work quietly together.

• Encourage your child to work at his or her own pace.

• Help your child read the words and sentences,

and ask questions about the content of what

he or she has read.

• Offer lots of praise and support.

• Letyour child reward his or her work with

the included stickers.

• Most of all, remember that learning should be fun!

Take time to look at the pictures, lough at the funny

characters, and enjoy this special time spent together.

o

Birthday Breakfast

grabbed his robe and put it on over his pajamas He ran

downstairs to the kitchen "Surprise!" shouted his family.

happy birthday.

^

Fill in the blanks. Then write the answers in the puzzle.

under his robe

ACROSS

^

Helping Hands

Lending a helping hand is a great way to let your

you con do to pitch in. One thing you con do is make your

toys. At dinnertime, you can set the table or help clean

^

Answer the questions.

the house?

2. What is one exonnple of a daily chore?

m

Butterfly Life Cycle

a cocoon where they sleep for a long time Inside the

cocoon, they start to change When they come out of thecocoon, they have turned into beautiful butterflies! This

amazing process is called the life cycle of the butterfly.

^

Number the life cycle stages in order according to the story.

^

Uncle Miguel

Everyone loves Uncle Miguel! When he comes to visit

and seek with us. He shows us how to moke silly faces

and do magic tricks. Uncle Miguel tells funny stories that

moke everyone roar with laughter. When Uncle Miguel isaround, everyone is happy!

^

Read each statement Write true or false.

1. No one likes Uncle Miguel

2. Uncle Miguel con do nnagic tricks.

3. Uncle Miguel mokes fun of children

4. Uncle Miguel ploys hide ond seek

5. Uncle Miguel tells funny stories.

A

Going to Grandma's

Mandy was veryexcited ! She was packing her suitcase

packed two pairs ofshoes Mandy added her toothbrush

and comb She thought about packing a gome, but then

she remembered that Grandma hod a lot of games to

play at her house Finally, Mandy placed her stuffed

elephant on top of the pile of clothes and zipped her

1^

Answerthe questions using the information from the story.

1. How did Mandy feel about visiting her grandma's

house?

2. Which items did Mandy pacl< in her suitcase?

.^1

—

Fishing Trip

Sarah opened the can of worms She carefully lifted

a worm out of the dirt-filled can The worm wiggled toget free, but Sarah held on tightly. She grabbed the hook

between her fingers. Then she quickly slid the worm onto

the hook Sarah cost her line into the pond and waited to

V

Number the events in the story in the order in which they happen.

Sarah put the worm onto the hook

The worm wiggled to get free.

Sarah waited to catch a fish

Sarah opened the con of worms.

Sarah cast her line into the pond.

Sarah lifted the worm out of the con

^

Safety Rules

before crossing the street to make sure traffic is clear.

Fill in the blanks.

Then write the answers

3. Follow safety rules so that you don't get

5. You should put on a when riding in a car.

a

Origami Art

Origami is the Japanese art of folding square pieces

of paper to make different-shaped objects, such as

birds, flowers, and fish In fact, the word origami means

"to fold paper/' Origami is a very old tradition enjoyed by

both young and old Surprisingly, no glue or scissors ore

needed Once completed, the finished product is often a

Answer the questions.

2. What are some shapes that can be made using

origami?

4. Which group of people created the art of origami?

^

Have you ever eaten s'mores around a cannpfire?

stick and roast it over on open fire. Then you place the

marshmallow on a graham cracker with a small piece

people who ate it were always asking for "some more!"

Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

1. Most people eat s'mores around a

The Great Lakes

There are five bodies of water along the northernborder ofthe United States. They ore known as the Great

Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior. The Great Lakes

hold about 6 quadrillion gallons of water! These lakes

provide nnost of our county's fresh water supply.

^^

Answerthe questions.

1. Along which border of the United States ore the Great

Lakes?

3. Find and circle the names

of the five Great Lakes

in the word search below

Spiders and Insects

Some people think that spiders ore insects, but they

the abdomen. Spiders only hove two body ports: the

abdomen and the head Spiders con hove as many as

B^

Fill In the chart.

The White House

The White House is home to the President of the

Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House contains 132

rooms, 35 bathrooms, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators!

House. It is sometimes called the Executive Mansion or

^

Answer the questions.

1. Who lives in the White House?

2. What is the address of the White House?

3. How many bathrooms ore in the White House?

the White House?

*"6a^ O*" ' ^

a

(

Have you ever wanted to learn how tojuggle? All you

hold one beonbog in each hand Toss one beonbog in

While the first beonbog is in the air, pass the second

beonbog fronn one hand to the other. Then catch the

^

Number the events in order.

Pass the second beanbag

Hold one beanbag

in each hand.

Toss one beanbag in a higharch toward the other hand.

Catch the first beanbag

with your free hand.

m

Lovely Ladybugs

Ladybugs are very interesting insects to observe

When they fly, ladybugs beat their wings 85 times in

one second! You won't see them flying around in cold

weather though, because ladybugs won't fly in

temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit Unlike

up and down. If you squeeze a ladybug, it will bite, but

the bite won't hurt you.

^

Read each statement Write true or false.

1. Ladybugs beat their wings

65 times per second

2. Ladybugs won't fly in cold weather

3. Ladybugs chew their food in

the sanne way that people do

4 If you squeeze a lodybug, it will bite.

5. A bite from a lodybug is very painful.

Greeting Cards

The custom of sending greeting cards began in GreatBritain over 150 years ago In 1840, the British government passed a low that lowered the cost of moil delivery In

to design a greeting cord that he could sell to people to

send through the moil. The greeting cord contained the

message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Mother's Day, and other holidays!

^

Answer the questions.

1. Where did the custom of sending greeting cords begin?

2 In what yeor did the British government lower the cost

3. Who was the businessman who began the greetingcord business?

4. What message did the first greeting cord contain?

5. Name on occasion for which you con buy a greeting cord.

Underwater Animals

An octopus and a squid ore two kinds of animals

that live in the ocean An octopus has eight tentacles,

or arms, with hundreds of suckers that allow it to move

along in the ocean An octopus feeds on crab, lobster,

other squid

^

Use the facts below to fill In the Venn diagram.

The first one is done for you.

FACTS:

Eats fish Has hundreds of suckers

^^9

American Sign Language

American Sign Language, or ASL When we want to

speak to Aunt Carolyn, we use our hands to sign the

words that we wont to soy. She uses her hands to sign

back to us. Sometimes, she signs so fast that it is hard for

me to keep up with her I keep a book about American

Sign Language in my room so I can practice. One day, I

will be able to sign as fast as Aunt Carolyn

fe^

Answer the questions.

1. What does it mean to be deaf?

(F

2. What does ASL stand for?

3. How does Aunt Carolyn comnnunicate

Navajo Tradition

mother and grandnnother nnake beautiful rugs out of

wool As port of the Navajo tribe, Sosha's family passes

helps to clean, spin, and dye the wool before it is ready

Rw^

Read each statement Write true or false.

1. Sasha is teaching her grandmother

how to weave.

2. Navajo rugs are made of silk.

3. Sasha is port of the Navajo tribe.

4. The wool of a rug is dyed after

the rug is completed.

5. Someday, Sasha will teach her

to fight fires and to rescue people in emergencies When

firefighters go to work, they often stay at the fire station

When a fire bell sounds, the firefighters quickly grab their

scene of the fire. Once there, they use powerful fire hoses

risk their lives to protect the safety of others.

^^

Answer the questions.

3. When a fire bell sounds, what do firefighters take

who core for animals instead of people Veterinarians

animals of all kinds. Most veterinarians love animals

and enjoy giving pet owners advice that will help theirpets live happy and healthy lives.

Fill in the blanks. Thenwrite the answers in the puzzle.

^

Have you ever wondered what makes a rainbow?

and seven different colors con be seen The colors

always appear in this order: red, orange, yellow, green,

the sky, you con tell a friend what caused it!

Rk-I

Circle the correct answer.

a. heat b. energy c light

2. The light is reflected off of a sheet of

^

The Met

York City decided to create a place to bring art and art

education to the Annerican people They started the

the museum was a carved Roman coffin. Today, the

museum covers four city blocks and holds nearly 3

fe,

Answer the questions.

1. Where is the Metropolitan Museum of Art?

4. What is a nickname for the Metropolitan Museum of Art?

^

Swimming Lessons

Wednesday afternoon Before he started taking

swimming lessons, Brian did not know how to swim at

all In fact he was a little afraid of the water Now, Brian

Answerthe questions.

1 Where does Brian take swimming lessons?

3. Which three swimming strokes has Brian learned to do?

Meghan bought a birdhouse from the garden store.

She brought the birdhouse home and took it out of the

box Meghan hung the birdhouse from a tree branch in

of the house Then, Meghan sot on the porch and waited

the seeds and chirping happily in Meghan's backyard

^

Number the events in the order in which they happened.

Meghan put birdseed in the house

Meghan bought a birdhouse from the store.

Meghan sat on the porch and waited

for the birds.

Meghan hung the birdhouse from

a tree branch

Meghan took the birdhouse out of the box

The San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo is one of the most impressive zoos

most animals in the Son Diego Zoo live in areas that

look and feel like their natural surroundings in the wild.

Son Diego allows most animals to spend a great deal

of time outdoors

^

Fill In the blanks. Then write the answers in the puzzle.

2. The San Diego Zoo is home to over 4,000

San Diego Zoo

5. Most areas of the Son Diego Zoo look and feel like

^9

Using the Library

If you hove a library card, you con borrow a book from

the library for free! After you check out the book you

would like to borrow, you con take it home to read It isimportant to take good care of the book that you borrow

people will be able to enjoy the book after you hove

%

Number the events in order.

Check out a book from the library.

Return the book to the library.

Get a library cord from the library.

Take the book home to read

Take good core of the book

-^^

Discovering Dinosaurs

'/w^

Dinosaurs are animals that roamed the Earth long

shapes and sizes. Some dinosaurs were plant-eaters,

while dinosaurs that ate meat hod sharp teeth Scientists

dinosaur bones are found buried beneath the ground

^^

Answer the questions.

2. What is another nanne for a plant-eater?

3. What is another nanne for a nneat-eater?

4. How con you tell whether a dinosaur was a nneat-eater

or a plant-eater?

Chew on This!

Do you like to chew gum? If you lived in Singapore,your gum-chewing habit could get you into trouble with

government passed a low that banned the sole of gum.

Just recently, however, the government has decided to

buy the gum must hove a note from a doctor or dentist!

Answerthe questions.

3. Where were people sticking gunn?

4. What kind of gum is now allowed in Singapore?

5. What must you hove to buy gum in Singapore?

Race to the Finish

Jamal knelt down at the starting line with the other

the race of his life. Suddenly, Jamal heard the sound of

began to run. He pumped his arms and moved his legs

OS fast as they could go. As he neared the finish line,

Jamal used a final burst of energy to race ahead of the

other runners He felt the ribbon pull across his chest.

The crowd roared with applause and cheers Jamal hod

"^

Number the events in the order in which they happened.

Jamal used all of his energy to race

ahead of the other runners

Jamal knelt at the starting line.

Jamal ran as fast as he could,

Jamal won the race!

Jamal heard the sound of the starting gun

^

1 Answers will vary.

2 Answers will vary.

3 It lets tl-iem know you

4 Sarah put the

worm onto the hook.

3 The worm wiggled

to get free.

6 Sarah waited to catch a fish.

1 Sarah opened

the can of worms.

5 Sarah cast her line into the pond.

2 Sarah lifted the

worm out of the can.

T "to fold paper"

2 birds, flowers, or fish

3 Pass the second

beonbog from one

hand to the other.

1 Hold one beonbog in each hand.

2 Toss one beonbog in

o high arch toward the other hand.

5 Add o third beonbog.

4 Cotch the first

beonbog with your free hand.

head abdotmen

Page 27

T The first fomily and

the President of the United States

Page 33

T Great Britain 2.1840

3 They take their

hats and gear.

4 They use fire hoses

and extinguishers.

Page 43

s c

1 at the community pool

2 Monday and Wednesday

5 Meghan sat on the porch and waited for the birds.

3 Meghan hung

the birdhouse from a tree branch.

2 Meghan took the birdhouse out of

2 animals

3 Bear

5 natural

Page 55

2 Check out a book

from the library.

5 Return the book

sharp teeth; a

plant-eater has flat teeth.

5 They study dinosaur

bones that ore found

beneath the ground.

of the other runners.

1 Jamal knelt at the

starting line.

3 Jamal ran as fast

OS he could.

5 Jamal won the race!

2 Jamal heard the

sound of the

starting gun.

^^

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$4.95 CAN

SfedJODogteoffi

helping your cmld learn is rasi ana run

when you use Flash Skills workbooks Each book in the Flash Skills series

focuses on a specific skill your child needs to build a strong foundation

and succeed in school Using simple instruction, engaging activities,

and delightful artwork, each book in the Flash Skills series features:

o Activitiesthat reinforcewhat your

child has learned in the classroom

© Exercises thai encourage practice

in skills your child finds challenging

© Games and puzzles that make learning fun

® Cute illustrations for your child to enjoy

o Playful full-color reward stickers

With Flash Skills workbooks.

you and your child will enjoy special

time spent together while building

your child's confidence in learning!

A Barnes & Noble Publication

ISBN 1-4114-0016-X

78141 1"400160'

50295